Boulder Applebee's lease could put crimp in Trader Joe's timeline

The Applebee's restaurant in Boulder has a lease until "late 2012," a spokeswoman said.
(
CLIFF GRASSMICK
)

The operators of the Boulder Applebee's -- which will be displaced by Trader Joe's -- say they want to stay in Boulder and indicated they'll keep their current Twenty Ninth Street restaurant open through "late 2012."

That, however, would put a crimp in the Trader Joe's timeline that Twenty Ninth Street officials reiterated Tuesday, which calls for Applebee's to close and be razed by as early as "late summer."

The lease of the Boulder Applebee's, 1906 28th St., expires in "late 2012," said Robyn Bailey, a spokeswoman for AmRest, an Applebee's franchisee that operates more than 100 locations in eight states. Bailey declined to disclose when the lease expires.

"We are planning on continuing to serve our great food and (provide our) great service until the end of our lease," she said.

AmRest was unaware Twenty Ninth Street officials were in talks with Trader Joe's, she added.

When reached Tuesday, Twenty Ninth Street officials said their timeline for the Applebee's departure and the Trader Joe's arrival is unchanged. JT Fulton, Twenty Ninth Street's property manager, declined to disclose the end date of Applebee's lease but said he's confident that construction on Trader Joe's 14,000-square-foot grocery store will commence this year.

"I can just tell you that our plan is for Applebee's to be here throughout sometime this summer and that we would expect to see Trader Joe's construction to start by the fall and, possibly, by late summer," Fulton said.

Trader Joe's officials last week said the Boulder grocery store would be operational in 2013.

When the local Applebee's does close its doors, AmRest's Bailey said employees who are in good standing would be offered positions at other locations in Colorado.

"We don't want to lose any employees due to this whatsoever," she said.

Applebee's departure from Boulder might not be permanent, she said, and AmRest officials are looking for sites throughout Colorado.

"We love Boulder," she said. "We would love to have something work there. This is just the business situation right now."

Panthers brace for rematch of epic '13 playoff battleAs is typical for high school coaches at this stage of the season, Boulder boys basketball leader Eric Eisenhard didn't waste much time celebrating a big win. Full Story

New coordinator pushes Buffs to work, play at level he expectsJim Leavitt has discovered this much about his new defense at Colorado: He has some talent with which to work, but his players need to put it in another gear. Full Story